Finite Element and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics Modeling of Fluid–Structure Interaction Using a Unified Computational Methodology

This study illustrates a comparison of two numerical methods under a unified computational platform for solving fluid–structure interaction (FSI) problems. The first is an arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian (ALE)-based fluid model coupled to a structural finite element (FE) method (ALE-FE/FE), and the second is a smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) method coupled to the same structural FE code (SPH/FE). The predictive capabilities and computational efficiency of both the numerical methods are evaluated and validated against a canonical problem of a rapidly varying flow past an elastic gate for which experimental data are available. In both numerical solutions, the fluid flow is governed by the Navier–Stokes equation, and the elastic gate is modeled as a flexible structure. Numerical simulation results show that the ALE-FE/FE continuum approach not only captures the dynamic behavior properly but also predicts the water-free surface profiles and the elastic gate deformations accurately. On the other hand, the coupled purely Lagrangian approach of the SPH/FE under an identical computational platform is found to be less accurate and efficient in predicting the dynamics of the elastic gate motion and the water-free surface profiles.